The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1887-03-05
A LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.

A Former Cecil Countian Writes of Things
of Interest IN tho Golden State.
Special Correspondence Of Ne Wing.
Once more after an absence of ten
wears find myself again in California,
aud thought it might be of some inter-
est to nv old friends and the readers OF
THE CECIL WIG to hear again from the
land of gold propose to tell them OF
some of the changes which have taken
place in my absence. Landing in San
Francisco found the years had wrought
many changes there but they were not
so noticeable. The greatest of these were
the electric light and the cable roads. the
,rS of the LATER gliding sn 'othly and
almost silently along the streets without
the old appendage OF IA stove-up wreck of
a horse was a sight which was net to be
overlooked, and ride on them Was
quickly decided on. The consequence
was soon found myself opposite Wood
ards Gardens the once famous resort OF
visitors to the golden gate and leaving
the cars handed the sleepy looking door
keeper my two bits and walked in under
the IN mmoth's r bhoues which are twenty
feet high, which have stood sentinel at
the gateway tor many years. On looking
around me | found that | was in me
uagerial tomb, a skeleton animal and
bird show. Looking down with the grin
of death and the glass eyes of the Taxi
dermist on the cages and dens they once
occupied when the garden was paradise
for the lover of natural history: | wand
cred around among the rows of empty
cages, here aud there grey fox or "A cage
of monkeys still remained and in Que
cage couple OF the most miserable coy
ates | have ever seen still looked out at
the passer by, the dull cold stare of their
pale green ewes seemed to look through
him aud away out owe: the rolling hills
and grassy plains which were their
homes. Near them was the bear pit in
which three rusty brown cinnamon bears
still remained to gaze up into the faces
above them with the llstess i'll Tor lite
expression of a convict. Woodlands q "
deus had gone down, the once fine collec
ton of ANIMALS aud birds had died out
and had never been replaced. Ii was evil
dent The gardens was now being run on
the reputation it had gained III former
years.
A lew days in the city and | was off
for the upper joaquin plains. my old
stamping ground i'll the long ago, it was
these same plains where grew the beauti-
full beds of wild flowers used to wri,e
of when | first went on them some
fourteen years ago. | thought they were
during the months OF March aud April
the most beautiful country | had ever
seen One m ght ride tor miles through
beds of the most gorgeous flowers it was
ever the lot of man to behold; here lit
tie valley would oe covered with the gol
den red of the Cerarle Tulip which
seemed to laugh back the red of the COL
den sunshine; there low ridge of sand
would be covered with the azure blue OF
wild pea vine mixed with the purple OF
the alflerea, then knoll where all the
flowers would unite i'll garden of color
winch to describe would take fairy stor,
writer. AT that time these plains were
the home OF wild herds of cattle, and
bands of wild hon ses roamed fat and
saucy untouched by rope or iron. punches
of antelopes could be seen grazing rear
the cattle or galloping over the plains
with the easy graceful motion SO peculiar
to them.
What change did | find on my return
| seems but few short months since |
was here, but | find that cities have risen
like magic and farm houses greet the eye
i'll any direction, the tg aud vine ar.
growing and with the fields of waving
gram have usurped the feeding grounds
of the wild horse and antelope, the steel
share of the plough man has long since
buried the flowers beneath the s.il from
which they grew; the stock Raises para
disc has been found to be also "A paradise
for the ranches, and king wheat has
crowded old lord beet to the wall
Farming, or ranching as it is called
here i'll California, is carried on on very
large scale, and description of the way
it is done may be of interest to some. |
Will give it, Aided by improved ma
chinery it is now possible for one man
to handle and farm from five
hundred to Que thousand acres. In
December whe the lains have made
the gIuuud sufficiently wet to plough
the work of seeding commences
Gang plougi.s are used, these are four
and nve ploughs buted to one frame and
ms frame is carried up or down on three
wheels, over the frame a seed box is fast
ened with spout leading down behind
each plough, feed slide and agitator be
ing arranged to the box so that the
amount of seed can be governed as de
sired. Then from six to ten mules are
nltched on and all is ready, it will be seen
that one man with this arrangement can
do as much as six or seven with single
ploughs, and when the days work is done
;tL a.
from seven to ten acres per day. When
the gram is all in. the farmer is at leisure
until harvest commences.
All grain on the level or plain country
here is cut by Headers, cutting from
twelve to twenty feet. This is strange
looking machine to an Z .stern man, as
the tongue and draft bars are back of the
reaper and the horses stand with their
heads to the machine and so push it before
them into the grain. \ wagon is driven
along under spout and the heads of the
grain alter being cut by the machine fall
upon canvas apron and are carried up
INTO the wagon When full the wagon Is
driven off and and another takes its place
But even this is too slow machine for
the California farmers and now the com
bined harvester is being used. This is a
header and tnreShing mlc line combined
rperated by sentN to twenty four horses
d living into field the grain is cut and
Lhresed put into sacks and there sacks
are dropped four or five in place, all in
one operation. All the rancfe or has to do
rs to drive along after and pick up bis
sacks of grain. This is what might be
called whole sale farming.
10 nv next will tell you some thing
of the Boom and the way they are run in
this country. J. J. FULTON.
Salida, California.